Wedding mornings getting ready with your best girls are the best! Champagne is popping, hairspray is in the air, and lashes are flying off the table. This is such a special time of day filled with mimosas, music, and matching pajamas or robes, but it can also be hectic trying to make sure you have everything. So, grab a pen and paper (or use the notes section on your phone) and write these things down. And, here’s a little expert tip for you: the week of your wedding, put together a bag of all of your wedding day details that are meaningful to you. These things are all what I recommend having ready for your photographer so you get those AMAZING detail shots of the little items that make up your wedding day.

Things to have ready on the morning of your wedding:

Invitation Suite

First up, the invitation suite. This is probably the thing I see that is most forgotten. I’d imagine you took some time thinking about exactly what you wanted, so why not photograph it? It IS a detail that makes up the story of your wedding. Have all your stationary together so I can get some gorgeous shots of this! Save the dates, invitations, RSVP cards and envelopes, programs, and any other stationary you may have had related to your wedding!

Dress Hangers

Next up, a nice hanger. Also an item that is commonly forgotten and is one of those details that you notice AFTER you receive your gallery. I always try to bring a hanger in case it is forgotten, but here’s a few ideas.  Head on over to Pinterest and search for wedding day hangers!  Or Amazon! Because, hello Amazon! Remembering nice hangers, is a relatively cheap solution to making your photos look like a million bucks.  Especially when it comes to hanging your wedding dress!  And if you’re feeling extra generous, get them for the bridesmaids dresses too!

Bouquets and floral remnants

As you might already know, one of my FAVORITE tips is to make sure your florist will have your  bouquet and floral remnants on site when I get there, that way I can use them to photograph all of your beautiful details. It really does make all of the difference! A bonus tip: Ask your florist if they’d be willing to bring any floral remnants as well (left over floral pieces and greenery.) They’ll probably just get thrown away anyways, so just ask, and you’ll be glad you did!

Shoes

I know my brides love a good pair of wedding shoes, so I’m always SO excited to see which ones they went with! Some of my favorites are from Kate Spade, Bella Belle Shoes, Jimmy Choo, and Badgley Mischka. Just in case you’re not convinced that they’re worth the investment, here’s a couple of reasons why you should invest in your dream wedding shoes! They add the perfect touch of class under your dream wedding dress, you can wear them over and over again on date nights and special occasions, and some day, maybe your little girl will play dress up in them.

Rings and any other jewelry you plan to wear

Let’s talk about rings for a second. I mean, obviously they’re easy to drool over, but they mean so much more than that! It’s the physical representation of the commitment the two of you have for each other, for better or worse. Oh, and they make for gorgeous detail photos, too! So make sure they are on site when I first get to your getting ready room. A lot of brides send the rings off to who ever is in charge of them (example, best man) and they are such a big symbol of your wedding day. They need to be kept where the photographer will be and can be transferred to who ever will be in charge of them afterwards. Don’t forget the grooms ring, too! Be sure to have all 3 rings in one place so it makes it easier and more efficient! And I know you carefully picked your jewelry for your wedding, so I want to be sure I provide you with amazing photos of it!

Perfume

This is another detail that most brides don’t think about to pack, but my goal as your wedding photographer is to capture the WHOLE story of your wedding day in a beautiful way! I always recommend purchasing a new scent for your wedding day, that way, when you wear it afterwards, it will always bring you back to that special day that you married your best friend.

Again, having these items packed ahead of time in a bag or box will be so helpful so you barely need to give it a thought on your wedding day! Tell one of your bridesmaids where the box is and that the photographer will need it when he or she arrives!

Your wedding morning should be as smooth and relaxing as possible and this is the first way to take steps to ensure just that!!!

XO,

Danielle